1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for handling packages. In particular, the present invention relates to an automated system for collating or assembling packages into stacks and for positioning the stacks on a conveyor.
2. Description of the Related Art
A known package forming and handling system 10 is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The system 10 includes a tablet press (not illustrated) for forming tablets 12 and a packaging system 14 for sealing the tablets 12 within packages 15.
The packaging system 14 drops the packages 15 onto a conveyor 16. The conveyor 16 is normally operated at low speed. But when a predetermined number of packages 15 have fallen onto the conveyor 16, the conveyor 16 is operated at a relatively high speed for a predetermined, short period of time. This produces separate, "shingled" stacks 18.
At the end of the conveyor 16, the packages 15 are scooped up by human loaders 20, counted and manually loaded onto a cartoner conveyor 22.
The system 10 is generally not sufficiently efficient, reliable and accurate. For example, the conveyor 16 may not maintain the packages within the stacks 18 as desired. As the stacks 18 are conveyed toward the cartoner conveyor 22, the stacks 18 tend to become disoriented and the packages 15 tend to commingle with each other. This makes it difficult to accurately and quickly load the packages 15 onto the cartoner conveyor 22.
Moreover, new systems have been developed for forming and packaging the tablets 12. These new systems are capable of producing packages 15 at a very high speed. The intermittent shingling conveyor 16 is too slow to be used with the new systems.